[Source: The Sports Consultancy] The National Football League (NFL) has confirmed that Munich has been chosen to stage the first-ever regular-season game in Germany during the 2022 season.

Following a competitive application process, FC Bayern Munich Stadium, the home of the Bundesliga champions, was selected as the venue for two of the four International Series games to be played in Germany over the next four years. Frankfurt Stadium will also host two games.

The NFL engaged London-based agency The Sports Consultancy (TSC) to design and deliver a structured host selection process, commencing in June 2021. TSC supported the NFL to engage cities across Germany, with in-house law firm TSC Legal providing contract drafting and negotiation services.

“We are very pleased to welcome Munich and Frankfurt to the NFL family and are excited to reward our fans in Germany for their passion by bringing them the spectacle of regular-season NFL football,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We look forward to staging our first game in Germany at FC Bayern Munich’s fantastic stadium later this year and to exploring areas of broader collaboration with the Bundesliga.”

The game in Munich will be one of five international games staged by the NFL in 2022, including one in Mexico and three in the UK – two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and a Jacksonville Jaguars home game at Wembley Stadium. Home teams for international games will be announced in the coming weeks, with dates and matchups to be confirmed in conjunction with the 2022 NFL schedule announcement later this year.

The NFL has staged 30 regular-season games in London since 2007. As part of the NFL’s 17-game schedule, each team is required to stage at least one international game every eight years

Dieter Reiter, Lord Mayor of Munich, said: “We are very pleased to welcome the NFL International Series to Munich. It is a great honor for the state capital Munich to be the first German city to stage a regular-season NFL game. Many Munich residents are big football fans and they will be thrilled that this spectacular sporting event is coming to their city.”

"We have been collaborating with the NFL since 2014 when we opened our US office,” said Oliver Kahn, CEO of FC Bayern Munich. “Our ambition was to reach and engage fans in each other’s respective home countries. We are delighted to take this next step in our long-term partnership to host a regular-season NFL game at our home stadium.”

Frankfurt Sports Councillor Mike Josef said: “American football was and still is at home in Frankfurt. That’s why I’m very pleased about the NFL’s decision to come to Frankfurt on a regular basis. The NFL is not just coming to Frankfurt for a game. With its sustainable engagement in our community, we are sure to achieve a great boost for sports in Frankfurt. We are looking forward to working with the NFL.”

Axel Hellman, CEO of Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt, said: “We are totally excited to be hosting two matches in the next years here in Frankfurt. Welcome to Eintracht Frankfurt. Welcome to the heart of Europe.”

Bundesliga CEO Donata Hopfen said: “We are pleased that the NFL has consulted with the Bundesliga in the planning of its first regular-season NFL games in Germany. These conversations have led both leagues to agree to explore the potential of a mutually beneficial collaborative partnership, which is very exciting for clubs in both leagues.”

Host selection process

The selection process for NFL games in Germany began last year with initial expressions of interest from nine cities, after which Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich were invited to participate in a full evaluation of the opportunities offered by each city. The partnerships between the NFL and Munich and Frankfurt include a joint commitment to deliver fan engagements activities, community participation programs and other NFL initiatives.

“We are looking forward to partnerships with Munich and Frankfurt that will extend beyond the games and help us to deliver accelerated growth in Germany,” said Brett Gosper, NFL Head of Europe and UK. “The strong interest we received underlined what a fantastic opportunity regular-season games offer for a host, ranging from significant economic benefits and global exposure to the chance to become a hub for the growth of the NFL’s fan engagement, community and grassroots activities.

“We also thank Düsseldorf, which presented a strong aligned consortium with ambitious plans. We look forward to developing a partnership there, with a potential for hosting games in the future.”

The staging of regular-season games is part of the NFL’s growing commitment to Germany. The League has recently appointed Alexander Steinforth as its dedicated general manager for the territory and is committed to establishing a permanent headquarters in the country. It has also committed to investing in grassroots and community programs in Germany.

In December, the NFL announced that four NFL teams – Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – have been granted access to Germany for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization as part of its International Home Marketing Areas (IHMA) initiative.

The NFL has enjoyed a number of strong years of fan growth in Germany, where it now has 19 million fans.  Weekly NFL television viewership on partners ProSieben and DAZN has grown by more than 20 percent annually since 2017, and millions of fans tuned in for Super Bowl LV last February, making it the third consecutive season of record German Super Bowl viewership. Germany is a leading market outside North America for NFL Shop sales, fantasy football participation and sales of the Madden NFL video game.

A new survey by AFG Videoforschung found that American football has become the second-most popular television sport in Germany, with one in three people having watched in the past year.

FC Bayern Munich has won 30 national championships, 20 domestic cups and six UEFA Champions League titles, making it the most successful German team in history. The club’s unique ownership structure sees more than 290,000 club members own a majority share

Florian Kraus, Munich’s Head of Department, Education and Sport said: “It's great for the image of the sports city of Munich to be able to present this sports event, which has such international appeal. After the European Championships, it will be the second major sporting highlight this year. Anyone who follows the current NFL playoffs knows that an exciting spectacle awaits us.”

Andreas Jung, FC Bayern Munich Board Member for Marketing said: “Our state-of-the-art stadium was opened in 2005, providing one of the best atmospheres within sports. The 2022 NFL game will become our first-ever non-soccer event at the stadium, making this a landmark event. We look forward to hosting the NFL and welcoming American football fans.”

Mike Josef, Frankfurt Sports Councillor said: “Having NFL games at two venues is ideal. It shows that we as the city put a lot of effort into it and delivered, together with Eintracht Frankfurt and many supporters, a good overall concept. This gives us the opportunity to enable more fans to enjoy an NFL game after our stadium extension in 2023. The stadium will be broadcast around the world and presented to an audience of millions. The event will be a tremendous asset, not only for sports, but for our hotels, hospitality and retail in the city. Particularly in the current times, this is an important signal to all sectors of the economy in the city and the region. This strengthens the reputation of Frankfurt as a sports-city and delivers another success story for the many football fans in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region.”

Patrik Meyer, Managing Director, Eintracht Frankfurt said: “As well as our glorious home team, Eintracht Frankfurt, this stadium has seen a lot of amazing events. But with the NFL coming to town we are really taking it to the next level. We are absolutely excited about NFL games coming to Frankfurt.”

David Knower, Frankfurt Galaxy/Advisory Board of the European League of Football: “As an American in Germany I am thrilled the NFL has chosen to play games here. We love the old days of the NFL Europe. We are very excited by the Frankfurt Galaxy here now, but the ultimate prize is an NFL game in Germany and in Frankfurt.”

Those wishing to register their interest in attending and receiving further information about the first NFL regular-season game in Munich should visit: www.nfl.com/munich  

[Source: Global Esports Federation] The inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships and Commonwealth Esports Forum will be staged in Birmingham, England this summer. The Championships is a tangible result of the Strategic Partnership between the Global Esports Federation and the Commonwealth Games Federation, announced in May 2020. The new competition in Birmingham will be supported by the British Esports Association, the not-for-profit national body established in 2016 to promote esports in the UK, increase its level of awareness, improve standards and inspire future talent.

The Commonwealth Esports Championships will take place at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham on August 6-7, 2022. The Commonwealth Esports Forum – a global convention of thought leaders and idea creators – will be held at the same venue in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Esports Championships, on August 5, 2022.

The Commonwealth Esports Championships will feature esports athletes from across the Commonwealth. Renowned multi-genre global titles are in the final stages of confirmation and will be announced shortly. The event is set to feature exciting demonstrations showcasing Active Esports and the powerful technologies that support the convergence of sport and esports.

The Commonwealth Esports Championships was sanctioned by the CGF Executive Board to be held at the same time as the 2022 Commonwealth Games whilst being independent of Birmingham 2022 and its sports programme. The Commonwealth Esports Championships will have separate branding, medals, organisation, and governance, led by the GEF and its community of partners.

Dame Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation said, “I am delighted that we are announcing the first Commonwealth Esports Championships and Commonwealth Esports Forum to take place in Birmingham this summer. Esports is continuing to grow dramatically in terms of popularity and participation, particularly amongst young people, and we are continuing to look at ways to explore how it can align with the Commonwealth Sports Movement. Commonwealth Esports Championships provides an excellent opportunity to pilot esports close to the Commonwealth Games. This will allow us to review the long-term relationship between the Commonwealth Games and esports as we continue to evolve and explore future editions of our event and what they could look like. I would like to thank the Global Esports Federation for their partnership with this exciting event, including the British Esports Association and the Business and Tourism Programme, who will help us bring this concept to life.”

“We are proud to establish yet another first for the world’s esports community. The inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships comes hot on the heels of the first-ever Singapore 2021 Global Esports Games staged in December 2021, capturing more than 500 million views from around the world. The Commonwealth Esports Championships offers our community another exciting event in the global esports calendar. We look forward to welcoming the esports community to Birmingham in August,” said Chris Chan, President of the Global Esports Federation.

The event is supported by the Business and Tourism Programme (BATP), which aims to maximise the economic legacy of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, as well as the regional economic development agency, the West Midlands Growth Company, which drives long-term tourism, investment, and major events into the region.

Exploring esports is one of the recommendations outlined in the new Commonwealth Sport 2026/30 Strategic Roadmap. The aspiration is that the innovative inaugural event will engage new audiences, showcase the digital and gaming credentials of the West Midlands and enable the Commonwealth Sport Movement to further explore the impact and potential of esports as part of the roadmap.

Alibaba Cloud, founded in 2009, is a global leader in cloud computing and artificial intelligence, providing services to thousands of enterprises, developers and government organisations in more than 200 countries and regions. Committed to the success of its customers, Alibaba Cloud provides reliable and high security cloud computing and digital technology capabilities as part of its online solutions.

“We are focusing on sustainable development and innovation,” Kevin Li, Head of International Sports Industry Department, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence said at Host City on 7 December 2021.

According to IDC and Gartner, Alibaba Cloud is the number one public cloud provider in China and APAC, and number three in the world.

In January 2017 Alibaba Cloud became the official cloud services partner of the Olympics.

“Since then we have been continuously supporting to drive the digital transformation of the Olympics,” said Li.

In 2018 Alibaba unveiled the cloud data centre for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and OBS Cloud with Olympic Broadcasting Services. In 2019 Alibaba Cloud became the official partner of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games and helped to support the first Asian games on cloud. And in 2020, Alibaba Cloud announced its support of Le Club Paris 2024 to enable fans to interact and engage with the Olympics. And in 2021, the most important milestone was to support Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which was delivered for the first time on cloud.

“Our teams are working to provide cloud technology support to Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, which will take place in February 2022. As a worldwide Olympic partner we share a vision with the IOC of using cloud technology and digital intelligence to improve the decision making of Games operations and create unique digital journey experience of Olympic sports fans.

“We believe technology will make the Games more inclusive and accessible to people of different genders, races and age around the world, all united by the Games."

Breakthroughs at Tokyo 2020

“When we look back at Tokyo 2020, breakthroughs in digitalisation were made at every moment fuelled by leading cloud-based technologies through Alibaba Cloud in partnership with IOC,” said Li.

“Alibaba helped IOC to integrate official digital channels of the Olympic games into the new olympics.com platform.

“Alibaba and the IOC released the cloud press conference platform, enabling the media to easily watch all press conferences on the cloud.

“We launched the cloud intelligence heatstroke prediction system with the Tokyo organising committee, to reduce the probability of a heatstroke.

“Alibaba Cloud supported OBS to launch the Olympic broadcasting cloud for the first time, using cloud technology to fully support ultra high definition and high dynamic Olympic broadcasting services.

“Through the digital cloud cheer platform, Make the Beat, we can cheer on the cloud and encourage athletes from all countries.

Digital operation, competition, communication and experience

“When we overview all these digital innovations based on practices by Alibaba Cloud in the Olympic Games, we can identify four domains in more general sports digitalisation. The four domains are: digital operation, digital competition, digital communication and digital experience. Each domain is composed with corresponding business solutions for specific stakeholders respectively.

“Digital operation will improve the operational efficiency of organising committees to make the events more sustainable. Digital competition will strengthen the position of athletes are at the heart of the Olympic movement both on and off the field of play.

“Digital communication is aimed to reorganise accounting workflow through digital technology. Olympics.com is one of the fruitful achievements. The converged media channel has delivered extended engagement for all fans during the Olympic Games, which will reinforce and promote the Olympic values which are more important and powerful than ever.

“Digital experience will establish the seamless Games journey experience to improve fans’ engagement before, during and after the Games.”

More value to host cities

“As TOP partner, Alibaba Cloud keeps collaborating with stakeholders of Olympic Games from Pyeongchang, Tokyo and Beijing to the coming Milano-Cortina, Paris and Los Angeles Games to support IOC’s digital strategy to facilitate the successful Games delivery and strengthen the uniqueness and universality of every brilliant Olympic Games.

“These practices could deeply involve the TOP Partner’s expertise and resources into the programmes and activities of the Olympic movement.

“Alibaba Cloud stands with the IOC, organising committees, IFs, sponsors and other partners to make digital technology – especially the cloud, which is hosting all core Games services – as a powerful source to enable the events to be more connected, more efficient, more secure and more engaging.

“It will be helpful to establish dynamic sports games with unprecedented experience and a reduced carbon footprint of the Games.

“Digital solutions rely on cloud technology that bring more value to the host cities of Games. From the faster sports industry development to more efficient city operations it is expected that host cities will witness the smart capability, building and developing of transportation, touring, medical, governance and many other aspects.

“Alibaba Cloud can work such digital magic into our cloud products and services, the comprehensive cloud solutions will create value and be the enabler of sports industry digitalisation. Cooperating with other sports partners, fans and stakeholders globally, I believe we can seize opportunities of digitalisation and contribute to shaping the post-pandemic world by working together with the sports community to strengthen the Olympic values.

“Stronger together: let us send our best wishes to all athletes and fans of the coming Beijing 2022 Olympic Games.”

This article is based on Kevin Li’s presentation, The digital transformation of the Olympic Games, at Host City 2021

[Source: Super League Triathlon] Following on from the recent news of a groundbreaking partnership between World Triathlon and Super League Triathlon to grow a global esports world championship series – Arena Games Triathlon powered by Zwift – we are proud to announce the three cities chosen to host these races in 2022:

Arena Games Triathlon 2022 Locations:

•             April 9 2022: Munich, Germany at Olympia-Schwimmhalle

•             April 23 2022: London, UK at London Aquatics Centre

•             May 7 2022: Singapore Grand Final

The Arena Games Triathlon is a trailblazing concept pioneered by Super League Triathlon, grown from an ambition to drive competitive triathlon throughout the global pandemic. 2021 saw the first multi-city version of the Games set in Rotterdam and London; the recent partnership with World Triathlon means the Arena Games Triathlon will be bigger and better than ever in 2022, with a return to London (23rd April), a first Arena Games Triathlon event in Munich (9th April), and an inaugural Grand Final in Singapore (7th May).

We are working with all relevant authorities to host the events in accordance to local safety protocols and Covid regulations.

The blend of real-life and virtual reality racing provides an immersive viewing experience that allows fans to get up close and personal with the best triathletes in the world without leaving the comfort of their seat. The event also gives esport fans, and lovers of sports statistics, the chance to enjoy live data from the athletes in real time. Born in the COVID era but promising a new generation of stars, the Arena Games Triathlon is the future of indoor racing.

Each event will contribute points to the World Triathlon World Ranking, and the athletes who collect the most points over the course of the series will be awarded the first-ever triathlon esport World Titles in Singapore. All three venues will see the return of fast and furious Elite racing, offering an incredible spectator experience for the fans.

“We are delighted to welcome three amazing cities such as London, Munich and Singapore to our roster of hosts - we cannot think of a better scenario for the 2022 season of the Arena Games Triathlon. The three events offer a combination of vast experience of triathlon events, Olympic tradition and great hosting capabilities, so I am sure that both athletes and fans will enjoy it. We cannot wait for the start of the esports season!”, said World Triathlon President and IOC Member, Marisol Casado.

“We have continued to innovate during the pandemic, and the pinnacle of that is our Arena Games Triathlon, which we recently announced the partnership with World Triathlon. It's very exciting to see the first World Series of Triathlon esport coming together and announce this powerful line up with iconic locations. This series will be a milestone in triathlon’s history and these venues will really do that justice!” explained Michael D’hulst, CEO and co-founder of Super League Triathlon.

World Triathlon and Super League will collaborate on all aspects of Arena Games Triathlon powered by Zwift, including scheduling, participating athletes, involvement of national federations, promotion, broadcasters, host venues and amplifying the reach of the events.

Expertise, values and innovation were decisive factors in the appointment of Sunset+Vine to provide event production, live broadcast and programme distribution for E-Bike Grand Prix (EBK GP).

EBK GP is the world’s first international E-Bike race series which will be delivered as part of a robust sustainable transformative mobility programme in each city. The concept is owned and developed by Cube International. Due to begin in late 2022 with a showcase event in Dubai, the series will take place in 10 cities around the world across 2023. Each Grand Prix will highlight iconic landmarks and cultural sites in host cities as part of a high-speed, thrilling sporting spectacle.

All EBK GP races will be free for public viewing, and coverage of the events will be broadcast internationally via television and digital media through the series’ partner, Sunset+Vine.

“Sunset+Vine provide the E-Bike GP Series with the perfect solution for event production, live broadcast and programme distribution, drawing upon their diverse and considerable expertise in live events and their major sport experience,” Andy Moss, CEO of Teams & Franchise at EBK GP and founder and chairman of Cube International told Host City.

“The team demonstrated real commitment to our core sustainability programme and offered the exciting development of second screen technology, two winning ingredients.”

“Our broadcast and media programme is a crucial asset of the EBK GP Series,” Judith Rowan, Global Host Cities Director with EBK GP and International Project Director at Cube International told Host City. “It not only offers a platform for engaging with and entertaining a global audience, but importantly it also allows us to tell the stories of our host cities through the inspirational lens of a major sporting event.”

Second screens

“As this is a new event, we have a chance here to start with first principles,” said Andrew Preece, Executive Director of Sunset+Vine told Host City. “We have innovative ideas about AR & VR and how we link together the first and second screens in real time.”

The first screen is the TV or device where audiences watch the primary coverage, with the second being another device such as a phone or tablet where they watch surrounding content such as social media at the same time.

Sunset+Vine first had the opportunity to trial some of these techniques during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in October 2019, when Eliud Kipchoge became the first person to achieve a sub-two-hour marathon. The wide range of content they produced included a gallery of photos of training during the live event.

“When watching a live sporting event, quite often it’s good to have a deeper insight into the players and the equipment, which you can’t really show as part of live coverage,” said Preece. “We can show it to them on another device so they can get a deeper insight without compromising coverage of the sporting event, and to link it events that are happening within the race.” 

360-degree services

Another advantage of working with a new event is the infrastructure can be designed with content production in mind.

“When the event company is designing the race track, we’ve got an opportunity to integrate with them on elements that work for broadcast and to incorporate the camera plan,” said Preece. “For example, we can mount a camera on a turn on a place that it would be otherwise dangerous to film. This way, we can design the coverage without distracting the players.”

Unusually, Sunset+Vine’s output extends far beyond the broadcast feed, acting as a one stop shop for all content, from live to news to social and digital.

“We are unique in the sector in offering 360-degree services – rights sales, programme distribution, live production, shoulder production such as highlights and previews, news on TV and digital, general digital and social and audience development, for example building fan bases on social platforms.

“As events like this are being viewed in more ways on more devices our 360-degree service is increasing useful to organisers, as they don’t have to employ lots of different agencies.”

Zero carbon

In keeping with EBK Grand Prix’s mission to help create cleaner, greener healthier cities, Sunset+Vine are minimising the footprint of their work.

“We are looking at zero carbon in terms of how we are doing production, including looking at options for remote production. We are considering that in terms of how we deliver the production, and we will also look at how we integrate that into the editorial,” said Preece.

“Sport has the power to inspire and motivate,” said Rowan. “Media broadcast multiplies that impact. EBK’s mission is to effect change towards sustainability around the world, and our partners Sunset+Vine have the experience and prowess to harness broadcast’s full potential to help us do that.”

Following the confirmation of Dubai as a host in October, South Korea was announced as the second host country in December 2021. Global sports and entertainment company Collinder Holdings will work closely with the South Korean government on delivering the race series there.

EBK GP’s hosts commit to a three-year Sustainable Transformation Mobility (STM) programme, with delivery and support provided by a sustainability partner.

“We are very excited to join the E-Bike Grand Prix series, promoting technology and sustainability,” said Sara Kim, Chief Executive Officer of Collinder Holdings. “South Korea is one of the global leading battery manufacturers and the EV market rapidly growing E-Bike is just the right fit for Korea”.

I am very proud to see the achievements of Super League over the last three years.

In 2019 we decided to grow the organisation, build out a team in London and, in arguably one of the hardest times for the event industry, we have truly established ourselves as an organisation that has substance.

We have extended our content offering, added a second series with the Arena Games and put together our best ever Championship Series in iconic venues featuring a new team concept.

Looking back and reflecting on 2021 as I am, I feel I also really need to take into account 2020 given the way the world has gone.

When you look at the triathlon landscape it makes me very proud. To deliver three Arena Games events – an entirely new concept – during COVID times was exceptional, as well as delivering our most exciting Championship Series since we launched in 2017.

To put it into context within our sport, the PTO has done many great things but in terms of events it also has a new concept and in three years have partnered on one event with Challenge and delivered one themselves. Many Ironman races have been cancelled including Kona and even World Triathlon’s schedule has been impacted.

Iconic locations

We brought the Championship Series back in iconic venues: London, Munich, Jersey, Malibu. We had the best in the world racing for four weeks back-to-back and the Series for both male and females was won on the last run of four weeks of racing!

Over the last two years SLT has grown from a great concept to a brand, and a league that has substance, a solid fan base, broadcasters invested in it and athletes committing to it.

Any organisation, even if the idea is the greatest and the team is strong, needs maturity to show substance, and without substance even a great idea and a strong team can fail.

Big things to come

For the Arena Games we are now partnering with World Triathlon to drive this into the next Olympics.

What does that mean? That a young, dynamic organisation can deliver a concept that is considered even by a traditional organisation such as a governing body as part of the future of the sport. Also that the Super League as an organisation has enough substance for World Triathlon to jump on to the boat with us.

It adds kudos and credibility and enhances the offering for sponsors, partners, hosts and investors that want to come on board.

Behind all of this sits an organisation that not only delivered these events, but has never failed to deliver.

From a media perspective the Championship Series was deemed thrilling to the last. The broadcast feedback was unanimously positive and in terms of PR and digital we have continued to grow substantially and can now claim to be the most engaged triathlon property.

It’s been a challenging couple of years for everybody, but Super League has emerged from it far stronger and ready for a very bright future, which is an incredible achievement.

The 8^th Host City conference took place online from Glasgow, Scotland on 7-8 December, bringing 85 incredible speakers to a global audience of more than 500 to “Refresh, Regenerate and Reconnect” the events industry.

In his opening address, Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, VisitScotland said: “Across the spectrum we are having to rethink out of necessity across a range of areas –  bidding, commercial viability, sponsorships rights, legacy impacts in a Covid-19 world, content distribution, media rights, the re-ordering of calendars due to postponements and cancellations.

“This climate of consistent uncertainty has once again accelerated us all to work in different ways, developing a range of resilient responses, innovation, spirit, and adaptation.”

Dr. Bridget McConnell CBE, Chief Executive, Glasgow Life said: “One of the most heartening aspects of the last few years has been our sector’s capacity for creativity, adaptation and innovation. The events’ industry is fundamentally rooted in a solution-focused approach, and that has never been more in evidence than over the last two years.

“The other heartening aspect has been the ongoing hunger for live events and the speed which audiences have both returned.”

Sir Craig Reedie GBE, Honorary IOC Member said: “Sport has shown great resilience. Sports events and their host cities have overcome a long list of difficulties.

“The International Olympic Committee, the IOC, managed to refresh, regenerate and reconnect with Tokyo 2020, the Olympic Games in July this year and will do so again for a second time in Beijing next February.”

Anita DeFrantz, IOC Member and LA28 Board Member said: “The greatest challenge going into Tokyo 2020 Games was trust. We needed the trust of the athletes, the organising committee and the Japanese people because there was great fear of being in a pandemic. I was so amazed at the joy of the athletes in the village. The trust was well placed; the Olympic movement did not create a super spreader.”

Looking ahead to 2028 she said, “The beautiful thing about Los Angeles is we don’t need to be transformed – we have all the venues we need.”

Ivo Ferriani, Executive Board Member, IOC and President of GAISF, IBSF and AIOWF said: “When I was introduced to the Host City brand by my collaborator Dr. Marco Mazzi, Vice-President, International Sports Travel Agencies Association (ISTAA), I was immediately impressed.

“Sport is one of the most important pillars to restore stability to the tourism industry and support society during this difficult time. Sport helps us to move forward.”

In his keynote presentation, Etienne Thobois, CEO, Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games said: “Our vision is a mix of the Olympic agenda, where the new norm provides cities with an increased flexibility in designing the Games to meet long term development goals; and then it’s about what we want to do with those Games. For Paris, it’s very important that these Games become a unique opportunity to enhance the role of sport in society.”

In his keynote presentation, Vincenzo Novari, CEO, Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games said: “We have to create events and attention and engagement not only for one month of competition, but for a time of four years. We cannot think that the attention and the commitment of our major sponsors could be only for one limited time.”

In her keynote speech, Katie Sadleir, Chief Executive, Commonwealth Games Federation said: “It’s going to be a spectacular event in Birmingham next year. This will be the first multisport carbon neutral event.

“We’re really keen to make sure the Commonwealth doesn’t just take place in our major nations. We want to see the full members having the opportunity. So we are encouraging people to looking at co-hosting in cities, countries or regions. We’re looking for creative solutions. We’re also working with the Global Esports Federation on an esports strategy. “

In a keynote Q&A Mikaela Cojuangco Jaworski, Executive Board Member, International Olympic Committee said: “The Olympic Channel is handling a side of the Games which is more vibrant, creative and attractive. Our approach has attracted a lot of younger audiences.”

Presenting The New Approach to Selecting Olympic Hosts, Octavian Morariu, IOC Member, Chair, Future Host Commission for the Olympic Winter Games, International Olympic Committee and President, Rugby Europe said: “The host election process needed to change because, in the past, cities trying to outbid each other resulted in excessive expenditure. Lobbying sometimes led to ethical issues. In the words of the Olympic president, there were too many losers.

“The sweeping reforms of Agenda 2020 were designed to reflect the modern priorities of the Olympic movement.”

In his keynote address, Lord Sebastian Coe KBE, President, World Athletics said: “This is the right moment to harness the power of our sport to bring positive change.

“It is not just what happens to a city or community during an event, but what is left behind that helps communities choose healthier lifestyles and create partnerships for years to come.”

On the opening panel, the scale of the impact of the pandemic was summed up by IOC Member and Finance Commission Member Dagmawit Girmay Berhane, who said: “Every aspect of life will never be the same, personally and professionally. That’s why our President took the bold step of taking the Agenda 20+5 roadmap.”

Andrew Ryan, Executive Director, ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations) said “The biggest impact has been the way the pandemic has acted as a catalyst. IFs have been slow to adapt but one of the few positives from this period is that it has accelerated the way IFs look at how they should be placed for the future.

“In the past my members were approaching cities with the same model, now it’s much more of a partnership and a willingness to take an innovative approach.”

Paul J. Foster, CEO, Global Esports Federation said: “We spent this period with one foot on the accelerator, the other and the brake and both hands on the wheel! We thought we could do more than stage just prestigious events. We realised we had responsibilities around health and wellness, our connection with education and youth as we think about the future of work and how we can contribute to the development of cities – and also societal impacts such as bringing down unacceptable barriers to inclusion and prosperity.”

Jon Dutton, Chief Executive, Rugby League World Cup 2021 said: “We have all tried to master the art of managing uncertainty. Having to be nimble and developing a high degree of resilience. Events in the future can look to opportunities from the crisis, seeing sports as a force for good and to influence policy makers. Events with a purpose are here to thrive – what happens off the field of play is as important as what happens on the pitch.”

Speaking on the panel Diversity and Integrity in Leadership, longstanding IOC Member, FINA Vice President and activist Sam Ramsamy said: “Sport has changed forever; the components have become highly commercial. We have to consider sport as entertainment, whether we like it or not. That is what fans want. It is important that we have at the foremost end diversity and inclusion to take the entire grouping forward with us.”

Jamaican swimming champion Michael Gunning said: “As a young boy learning to swim there were no people of colour around me - that role model was missing. I enjoyed breaking the mould and doing something that not many people like me did.

“Jamaica has strict laws about being gay. It's heart-breaking – if I showed affection to the same gender I would be sent to prison. Athletes have to come together; I want to help inspire people and show that it's OK.”

On the panel Partnership Approaches to Event Hosting, Trudy Lindblade, Chief Executive Officer, 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships said: “We have the benefit of it having never been done before, so it’s been cocreation from the start. We’ve pulled our commercial rights together to share the risk and the reward.”

Sustainability was a recurrent theme of the conference. David de Behr, Head of Sales Aggreko Event Services, Aggreko said: “In the last year Aggreko has brought out its energy transition strategy and we support our customers on their journey to decarbonise in the future.

“What we do now is try to reduce the energy needs of our customers. 90 per cent of our work goes into this, without risking the critical supply for the event. This means difficult discussions with the rights holders and organisers – but it’s a positive evolution for us.”

Tim Briercliffe, Secretary General, AIPH - International Association of Horticultural Producers said: “The themes of our events really tie into the message of sustainably. The theme of the Beijing 2019 Expo, where we had 10 million visitors, was ‘Live Green, Live Better; in Almere next year it will be ‘Growing Green Cities’; in Doha 2023 it will be ‘Greener Desert, Better Environment'.”

Laura Lopez, Director, Conference Affairs, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said: “My top tip is: be like Glasgow! That was a key element in making our event a success. We had the most people we’ve ever had at a COP – more than 38,000. One of the reasons we had so many people coming to COP26 is that they had assurances they would be taken care of.”

On the workshop on Defining event impacts and promoting positive outcomes, Joel Lavery, Strategic Lead Major Sporting Events, West Midlands Growth Company said “As we were looking at the Commonwealth Games, Birmingham was keen to measure the impact of the Games on the city. So we looked at the impact of various international and national events, and there was zero consistency – it was like trying to compare apples and pears.

“We as a city need to be clear on the type of things that we need to measure. That led to us developing a major events strategy.”

Technology also featured prominently on the conference agenda. Presenting on The Digital Transformation of the Olympic Games, Kevin Li, Head of International Sports Industry Department, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence said: “In January 2017 Alibaba became the official cloud provider of the Olympics. During 2021, the most important milestone is to support Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games which is the first time on cloud. Our teams are working to provide cloud tech support to Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. As a worldwide Olympic partner we share the vision of the IOC of using cloud computing and digital intelligence to improve Games operations.”

Speaking on the panel Broader Casting – Who Owns the Rights?, Jeff Foulser, Chairman, Sunset+Vine said: “Sport is the ultimate unscripted live drama. People love to come together for the real moments. You need the platforms to build engagement, but you want people to come together hopefully in one room.

“It’s important that we don’t lose sight of the fact that there are people who can’t afford subscription channels. For the bigger events we want to make the sports as available to as wide as possible an audience – that’s how they grow and expand.”

In a joint presentation with World Triathlon, Michael Dhulst, Co-Founder & CEO, Super League Triathlon said “The Arena Games Triathlon is a new concept developed under Covid to be in line with social distancing and leverages the booming virtual racing environment. It opens up the possibility to open up the sport to much bigger participation.”

Sarah Lewis OBE OLY said “Host City has been outstanding this year – huge compliments. It’s demonstrated the value of many positives that we’ve taken from the pandemic as an events industry.”

Host City 2021 was delivered with supporting partners EventScotland, Glasgow Life and Glasgow Convention Bureau.

Event supporters included: Headline Sponsor, Aggreko; Gold Sponsors, Alibaba Cloud and Birmingham and the West Midlands Convention Bureau; Silver Sponsors, AIPH – International Association of Horticultural Producers; Sunset+Vine and Super League Triathlon; Federation Partner the International Sports Travel Agencies Association (ISTAA); Branding Sponsor, Sport Event Denmark; and Strategic Partners, the Association of Global Event Suppliers (AGES), FOAMHAND and the Global Esports Federation.

EDITOR’S NOTES

About Host City

Host City is the event and media brand that connects the owners, hosts and organisers of major events.

Through its conference, exhibition and online publishing platforms, Host City shares best practice within the international community of international sports, business and cultural events.

Launched in 2014. Host City events are renowned for the highest level of speakers, content and networking.

For more information visit www.hostcity.com or email ben.avison@hostcity.com

Host City: Thank you Paul for your support of Host City 2021, we are really looking forward to hearing you speak again as the host of this important conference. The opening panel, which you are chairing, is called “The impact of, and lessons from, the pandemic”. Obviously, the impact has been devastating on the events industry, but are there any positives to be drawn from the last 19 months?

Paul Bush: The last 19 months have been difficult especially as 2021 did not unfold the way many of us were hoping for with restrictions in place for longer than we’d anticipated, economic uncertainty, and travel adaptations. However, amongst this climate of consistent uncertainty, the events industry continued to adapt and innovate, developing a range of resilient responses that allowed sporting, cultural and business events to take place. Here is Scotland that has included the continuation of online and hybrid events; proof of negative tests and the introduction of the COVID vaccine verification scheme for entry into events; and adapting performances so audiences have the choice between social distanced and non-socially distanced shows.

Host City: Event hosts have for obvious reasons had to focus much more on supporting domestic events and become more localised in their activities. Do you think this will be a lasting effect of the pandemic, or as travel restrictions continue to ease will you become just as focused on international events as before?

Paul Bush: Domestic events have always been an important part of our events portfolio alongside international events. Through our National Events Strategy, Scotland the Perfect Stage, we have always carefully selected a mix of events of various types and categories that are staged throughout the country and throughout the year in order to bring social and economic impact.

For the last 19 months, our main focus has been on supporting the events industry, particularly the events supply chain, to survive the pandemic. Through Scotland’s Events Recovery Fund, which we established in conjunction with the Scottish Government, we have been helping Scotland’s events sector plan and deliver events and supported them to adapt to the effects of COVID-19. This has included supporting community events as well as events that drive domestic tourism.

As we move forward, domestic events will play an important part of in Scotland’s recovery from the pandemic alongside international events, however, what I do see coming into the mix more will be community events as they will help us to rebuild the industry as well has creating opportunities for communities to come together, which is especially important given the opportunity to interact with those close to us has been limited over the last 19 months.

Host City: Scotland has just hosted a huge international event, COP26. What impact has hosting this had on the nation, and what impact do you think the outcomes might have on the events industry?

Paul Bush: COP26 was another opportunity to show why Scotland is the perfect stage of events to both a domestic and global audience. Welcoming world leaders, climate experts and activists to Glasgow and Scotland for two weeks whilst still dealing with a pandemic took great coordination and cooperate across multiple agencies at a local, national and international level.

In October we published The Contribution of Events to Scotland’s Wellbeing, a piece of research commissioned alongside the Event Industry Advisory Group to further understand and examine how events contribute to Scotland’s wellbeing.

One of the key findings showed that major events have the potential to enhance the reputation of our cities and communities internationally as well as help build civic pride. So, like other major events that have been held in Scotland, including the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the 2015 FIG World Artistic Gymnastics and the 2019 Solheim Cup, I believe COP26 has helped further build a sense of pride and confidence both within the community and within the events industry.

Host City: The biggest international event Scotland is hosting in the future is the UCI 2023 World Cycling Championships – a new event that was very much created in partnership between host, rights owner and broadcaster. What are your expectations of this innovative event?

Paul Bush: Simply put, it will be like nothing Scotland and the world has ever seen before. By combining 13 UCI World Championships together in one mega event we are doing something that has never been done before and something that will deliver lasting benefits not just for cycling as a sport but for its impact across society in Scotland.

As well as a world-class sporting spectacle featuring more than 8,000 elite and amateur athletes from more than 120 countries, the Championships are being delivered as a purpose-led event with key policy objectives at the core. There is no doubt the Championships gives us a unique opportunity to encourage more people to cycle for sport, transport and for tourism as well as helping combat key issues such as climate change. The timing of the Championships could not be better.

It is hugely exciting that the UCI has entrusted us with the opportunity of delivering the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships and we are looking forward to cementing our reputation as an innovative and forward-thinking event host with a Championships that exceeds all expectations.

Host City: Similarly you have teamed up with European Athletics to deliver the Dynamic New Athletics Indoor (DNA) in Glasgow in February 2022. This sounds like a format that’s just right for the times we live in – can you tell us a bit about what we can expect?

Paul Bush: We’re delighted Glasgow and Scotland have been chosen to host the very first DNA indoors. The event concept is aimed at engaging new audiences with an exciting, easy to follow, short format whilst creating a lively atmosphere with music and fun event presentation.

The innovative, team-based competition will see mixed teams of 18 athletes from Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Spain and Turkey compete in 11 events across both track and field over two hours at Emirates Arena in Glasgow on 5 February. Everything counts with two to 12 points awarded each event, with the last event – the Hunt – deciding the winning team.

Securing this event for one of Scotland’s flagship venues reinforces Scotland’s reputation as the perfect stage for events and as a world leader in the delivery of innovative new events.

Host City: The good news keeps coming for Scotland, with Glasgow having just been awarded the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships. Why – and how – was Scotland selected to host this event?

Paul Bush: We are absolutely delighted Glasgow and Scotland has been chosen to host the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships. Our success is routed in our partnership approach and we worked with Glasgow Life, UK Sport and UK Athletics to complete World Athletics bid process to secure this major event.  

In our bid we set out our vision to work with them to set a new benchmark in event hosting and demonstrated our experience in achieving this for other events, including the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2018 European Championships. We also demonstrated our policy-led approach to delivering events, ensuring we deliver positive impacts that are sustainable and last well beyond the event.

The Championships joins a portfolio of major events to be taking place in Scotland over the coming years and reinforces our reputation as a global leader in the delivery of innovative and world class events.

Host City: Thank you very much for your time Paul. One last question: what are your expectations of Host City 2021?

Paul Bush: My expectations for Host City 2021 are for another great two days filled with lively debate, discussion and knowledge sharing as we all look to refresh, regenerate and reconnect across a number of topics, including the pandemic and the climate emergency, impacting events now and into the future. I look forward to seeing everyone there.

Register for Host City here now

[Source: UK Athletics] The Emirates Arena will stage the biggest Indoor athletics championships in the world, five years on from holding the hugely successful European Athletics Indoor Championships in 2019.

News of the award has delighted the bid partners EventScotland, Glasgow Life, UK Athletics and UK Sport who received the outcome of the World Athletics Council vote earlier this afternoon.

Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, said: “I’m delighted that Glasgow has been chosen to host the prestigious World Athletics Indoor Championships in 2024. This will underline Scotland’s global reputation as the Perfect Stage for events and is welcome news as we look to recover from the pandemic.”

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “We are delighted that Glasgow and Scotland have been chosen to host the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships. Scotland is the perfect stage for events and securing the Championships reinforces our reputation as a global leader in the delivery of innovative and world class events.

“We look forward to working closely with World Athletics and our partners to deliver the truly memorable Championships, and to welcoming athletes and fans from around the world to Glasgow and Scotland in 2024.”

Councillor David McDonald, Chair of Glasgow Life and Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “Today’s announcement by Word Athletics recognises Glasgow’s global reputation as a first choice host for major sporting events and as a city with a track record of delivering world-class event experiences. It’s a privilege to be bringing the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships to the Emirates Arena, which is widely regarded as one of the best athletics venues in the world.

“Glasgow is committed to using major international events to encourage participation in sport and physical activity, and to ensuring the positive impact of events benefits local communities. Together with our partners, we’re looking forward to continuing that important work and to delivering an outstanding Championships which helps to inspire Scotland’s next generation of talented athletes.”   

Dame Katherine Grainger, Chair of UK Sport said: “I am delighted that with our event hosting partners, we have secured another world class event to take place in Scotland. As part of our new strategy to reach, inspire and unite communities across the UK, ensuring a wide geographical reach is of utmost importance to us. The National Lottery investment into this event will help ensure a truly inspirational event, both on and off the field of play.”

Ian Beattie, Chair of UK Athletics said: “We are delighted to be awarded the opportunity to host the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships. World Athletics have demonstrated their confidence in the UK to host global athletics championships once again, and history has shown time and time again our ability to deliver amazing events. 

“We’re thrilled with the outcome and look forward to a successful Championships working alongside our partners that will truly give all athletes a fantastic stage upon which to perform.”

The dates of the event have yet to be finalised, but are expected to be in March 2024.

Peru to host first World Athletics Series event in 2024

[Source: World Athletics] Lima will become the first city in Peru to host a World Athletics Series event when it welcomes the world’s best junior athletes in mid-2024.

The President of the Peruvian Athletics Federation, Javier Chirinos Hoyos, said this was a big moment for athletics in Peru.

“We are very happy and proud to have been chosen for the first time ever, to host the 2024 World U20 Championships,” he said. “Rest assured that we will organise the best event of this category in history. We have the experience and a great team to give the best in Lima in 2024. Thanks all and we will be waiting with open arms for all of you in Lima."

The general director of the Local Organising Committee, Luis Condeso Ocampo, added: “We are very happy and grateful to World Athletics for trusting us to host the World Athletics U20 Championships in 2024. We assume this designation with great responsibility, and be sure that the Peruvian Athletics Federation, with all the support of the Peruvian Sports Institute, the Municipality of Lima, and all sportspeople in Peru, we will make the World U20 Championships in Lima an unforgettable experience for all participants.” agreed on the host cities of two future World Athletics Series events at their meeting in Monaco.